I have heard the comment that downzoning and smart growth will ruin property values, but I have heard no evidence to support this claim. Those who say this may be using the strategy that if you say something often enough, people will believe it is true.

Studies show that Charles County has enough housing in the pipeline to meet 90 percent of the county’s needs until 2040. Yet some still believe that they can profit from a demand for additional sprawl housing.

What we do know is that sprawl development costs more than it produces in taxes. It may also lower the value of the existing homes that compete for the same buyers. Charles County cannot afford sprawl. Developers build a housing development and leave. It is then up to the county and the county taxpayers to provide the services that these homes require. This deficit must be made up by higher taxes for everyone.

All investments carry a risk. Investors have gained but also lost money in stocks, bonds and business ventures. Real estate is no different. Buying property is a risk. There is no guarantee that your investment property or your home will make a profit or even retain its value.

Yet several speakers at the Dec. 15 comment session for the 2012 comprehensive plan expect the county to guarantee their investments. They implied, and even stated, that Charles County had a responsibility to ensure that their investment property maintain its potential value through a continuation of the current planning and zoning policies.

These are the same policies that have brought us to where we are today: decreased property values throughout the county. Our county cannot afford to subsidize the investments of a few through the higher taxes of many.

The average property owner in Charles County owns one property a home. Many homeowners here have seen their property values decrease in recent years, some even to less than what they owe on their homes. Yet those who advocate status-quo zoning policies expect these homeowners to fund future sprawl development with their tax dollars.

The new comprehensive plan must address the issues of the majority of residents, taxpayers and voters in Charles County, not just those with multiple property holdings.

The Waldorf Urban Design Plan is an impressive start toward smart growth in Charles County. It is forward-thinking in its concept. It is what we need. This plan concentrates development and uses an infrastructure already in place. It makes mass transit options more viable. And, most importantly, it moves Charles County into the future. Smart growth will allow managed development in an economic and affordable way.

We need to put smart growth front and center of the 2012 comprehensive plan. This is where Maryland is going, and Charles County has the chance to lead, rather than follow. We need to embrace our assets: our streams, our open space, our farms, our proximity to the water. We need to find a way to preserve them for us and for future generations.

These are what bring people to Charles County to visit, to play, to shop and to live. We need to preserve our open space.

Howard Dent, Newburg